KUALA LUMPUR – US President Donald Trump has directed Attorney-General Pam Bondi to seek the unsealing of grand jury testimony in the long-running Jeffrey Epstein case, amid rising pressure from his supporters to reveal more documents and names allegedly linked to the disgraced financier.
“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney-General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony, subject to court approval,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Shortly after, Bondi responded on X: “President Trump – we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”
The move follows growing anger from Trump’s base over Bondi’s earlier reversal on promises to expose “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs” linked to Epstein’s activities.
Last week, she said the Department of Justice (DoJ) had found no evidence of a so-called client list, and reaffirmed the official ruling that Epstein had died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Many supporters were not satisfied.
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk called Trump’s latest instruction “massive” and credited grassroots pressure, BBC reported.
However, according to CNBC, critics argue that unsealing grand jury testimony, which is normally confidential under US law, may not provide the explosive revelations some expect.
Even if a federal judge approves the request, the transcripts are likely to be only a small part of the wider Epstein investigation, which has already seen selected documents from earlier cases released – including from his 2006 Florida case, widely criticised for its lenient handling.
The FBI and the DoJ recently reiterated that there was no client list and no evidence that Epstein blackmailed powerful individuals.
A July memo also reaffirmed that Epstein took his own life, countering years of conspiracy theories – but Wired magazine this week reported that metadata showed nearly three minutes were missing from what officials had called full raw surveillance footage from the night of Epstein’s death.
Trump’s announcement also coincided with a Wall Street Journal report revealing that a signed, joking letter from Trump was found among Epstein’s birthday messages in 2003. The letter had already been reviewed by federal investigators, along with other materials tied to Epstein and his convicted associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Although Trump once had ties to Epstein, he has since distanced himself. His administration has blamed Democrats for the political pressure surrounding the case, but calls to release more files have come from both sides of the aisle, including his own former vice president Mike Pence.
Despite the new push, the timeline for any possible disclosure remains unclear, and scepticism is growing over whether anything new or conclusive will emerge from the documents.
In the US, a grand jury, made up of ordinary citizens, determines whether there is enough evidence for charges to be filed, but its proceedings are secret unless a judge decides otherwise. – July 18, 2025